2 Smoking Facts that Show Significant Growth in the Cannabis Sector

The burgeoning cannabis industry has been cultivating significant growth since it's seedling was planted in California back in 1995.

Today, there are thousands of legal cannabis businesses operating in states nationwide. With the way things are going, it seems as if there's no sign of it slowing down.

Some of the statistics surrounding just how fast the legal cannabis sector has grown may elevate you to new heights. Here are two surprising facts that show just how swiftly this industry has grown and is predicted to continue to grow in the coming years.

From One State to Half a Nation

In 1995 California became the first state to re-legalize medical cannabis. Fast forward to today, and our nation’s capital along with 30 states have now said yes to allowing some form of marijuana for medicinal purposes. There are also 9 of those states in addition to Washington D.C. that have supported the wishes of their residents to also allow for adult recreational possession and consumption of cannabis under specific regulations.

Along with all of the new states that have legalized cannabis in some form comes a new industry of businesses that must be staffed. According to Marijuana Business Daily as of 2018, there are now more employees in the legal cannabis industry than there are dental hygienists in the nation. The number of individuals the sector employs also outnumbers bakers and massage therapists. The latest data surrounding cannabis job growth is from 2017, and at that time it was estimated that there were between 165,000 and 230,000 employees in the cannabis industry nationwide.

This number is likely only to increase seeing how the number of postings for jobs in the sector increased by 445% in 2017. New Frontier Data released a report estimating that over 1.1 million jobs could be created nationwide if only the federal government would re-legalize cannabis once again for all citizens.

These are just two staggering facts surrounding the growth of this semi-legal market. There are countless other numbers that may just surprise you. The facts surrounding things such as how much money has been made in communities nationwide for education, municipal services, and other aspects can’t be ignored.